Carolina Heat
by edwardsouthernbella
Summary: The death of her father in a beach house proves to be too much for Bella Swan to handle. Her carefully crafted world is falling to pieces. Agent Edward Cullen is assigned to investigate the case after moving to Cherry Grove. They quickly fall in love as they help each other rebuild their lives, but how safe are they?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary – The death of her father in a beach house proves to be too much for Bella Swan to handle. Her carefully crafted world is falling to pieces. Agent Edward Cullen is assigned to investigate the case after moving to Cherry Grove. They quickly fall in love as they help each other rebuild their lives, but how safe are they? **

**Chapter 1 – Waiting for Superman**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight.**

** Hey y'all! We're going to have another fun time with this fic. I'm so glad you're here with me. I have to thank my beta, Kitty Masen, for her hard work and time that she puts into my fics! You're fabulous! **

** I will tell you all right now that there is a violence warning for this fic. There will be scenes that are detailed. And my readers also know that as things happen fast for Bella and Edward in my stories. The lemons are always graphic, so if you are offended by any of this, please click on the 'X' in the corner. Thank you!**

** Off we go…**

Senator Swan's body was easy to drag into the dark beach house. It was the low season for tourists around the beach area, so there would not be nearly as many people on vacation. Night time fell hours ago, and it was simple enough to drag him out of the back of the rental office. With one quick blow to the back of his head with a baseball bat, he was out and thrown into the back of the SUV. Sea Mountain Highway was quiet as he drove along it toward forty-second avenue. After opening the door to the downstairs area of the building, he pulled the body inside.

Closing the door with his foot he turned to his guest. "Time for some torture old man," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"This was your fucking fault," he said calmly while tying the noose methodically around his neck to the low wooden exposed beam. "I have always been the fucking victim, but not anymore. It's time for me to take over the whole damn world. I'm entitled to everything I want, Senator."

He cut off his clothes, discarded them, and began stabbing him repeatedly in the torso and chest. All of the pent up rage he had over stored for the past few years was coming out with every violent move. This man was no longer a person that he was killing, but rather a momentary thrill. It felt good to pull the knife in and out of his flesh. If someone tried to blame him for this, he sure as hell was not going to accept for a second. Because of everyone else, he could never do what he wanted.

"Not a fucking thing wrong with me," he muttered later when he collected his items to leave. The Senator's body was still dangling a few feet off the ground. The sun had not come up yet as he got back into the SUV to drive home. He felt no remorse, no guilt, and certainly no blame for anything that occurred overnight. Once he was home, he burned the clothes and showered to get rid of any evidence. Since it was Sunday, he wanted to run to The Golden Griddle to get something to eat. Maybe he could charm a few waitresses into giving him their phone numbers.

~CH~

"Emmett, where is the spare set for the house on forty-second avenue? It's the two storey one that we need to renovate in a few days, but it's not on the hook where we keep the other ones," Ben told him after looking on the board.

"It should be over there with the rest of them," Emmett said before walking over to the large peg board that covered the wall. "Damn it…I told Mike to put it back after getting a copy made. Is he here yet?"

"His car is out in the parking lot, but he's always running late. Please tell me again…why did you all hire him? Personally, I think he's lazy."

"Ben, the realty company is family owned. You are the only one who is not blood related. Since he's our cousin, Dad said to bring him on in to learn the ropes. I know he has some idiosyncrasies, but he'll work through them."

He left the room to see if Mike was out in his car, but instead they ran into each other in the hallway.

"Hey man, I was looking for you. We're missing the key for the house that I needed you to get a copy of for the contractors. Do you have it?"

After looking through his pockets, he came up empty handed and, with a blank look on his face, offered to go back out and look in the car.

Other than looking for the missing key, Emmett's day at CRS Realty began in a normal manner. The low season was going to end soon, so they needed to have the beach houses ready for the early spring season. His dad, Senator Swan had not been by the office in some time as far as he knew, and he was expecting to see him at some point this week. Charles rarely came in due to the fact that he was busy with politics, even though he was the CEO of the company. Emmett was the man in charge who made most of the daily decisions.

His sister, Bella, was not involved with the family business. She went off to the Savannah College of Art and Design to study jewelry and metalworking. Her designs were widely sought out throughout the Grand Strand. The jewelry she created were one of a kind pieces. Emmett had not spoken with her or their Dad in a few days, so he went upstairs to his office to call them. As usual, his Dad's phone went straight to voice mail, which did not surprise him at all. Bella on the other hand picked up immediately, but their conversation was brief. She was walking into one of the boutiques to drop off a new collection for the owner. Yes, she promised she would call him back later on tonight to talk.

The contractors called Emmett a few minutes later to let him know they needed to get to work that morning on the house. They arrived at the realty office to collect the spare key Mike eventually found and brought back inside. Emmett drove over to the house with them to make sure the key was fully functional. No one expected to see the dead body of Senator Swan hanging from one of the wooden beams.

~CH~

"Bella, while I love your designs, I'm not sure the women who I market my products to will be as interested in this collection. Don't get me wrong…the sea glass is impressive, and I obviously will buy some from you. It's just that it's different than anything you've brought to me before."

"Jane, when I told you this was my way of getting out of my comfort zone, you applauded and encouraged me. You never know who will drop in unexpectedly," she began. "Wouldn't it be worth a try to keep it on the counter for at least a week? Or at least I could bring it back when the traffic picks up."

They were at a moot point.

"Bring them back to me in two weeks. There are a few women that will be back in town that might be interested, but I can't say for sure that they will put money down for them."

Bella stood up, smoothed the front of her skirt, and looked Jane directly in the eye.

"Are you doing this simply as a favor to me?"

"Not at all…what makes you say something like that? We've had a great working relationship for the past year. There are other designers that would die for an opportunity to have their collections in my boutique."

"I am fully aware of that fact, Jane, but I needed to be certain that you genuinely wanted to showcase it. Thank you for working with me, and I'll give you a call in a few days to see how sales are going for the line."

They shook hands before she gathered the rest of her jewelry to set it in the travel cases. Normally, Bella was a strong woman, able to handle the daily frustrations that life handed to her. Yet she had felt off lately. Her designs, in her mind, were lackluster, but she could not pinpoint as to why she was questioning her talent. These thoughts ran through her mind as she set her things in the trunk of her car. It was a welcome relief for her to leave Jane's boutique today.

Driving down highway seventeen, she thought about how her life was not going as she had hoped a few years ago after graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her creations were in high demand from the moment she returned home to Cherry Grove. There was not enough time in the day for her to bend wire, sketch designs, or call clients. It seemed as though it exploded over night.

Now a sense of burn out loomed over her head.

It really began when her Mother, Renee, was murdered about six months earlier. It shook her world up tremendously, and the case was still unsolved. She took a few weeks off after the funeral to clear her mind, but all the walks on the pier did not seem to do that much for her. Her father and Emmett were the only two who understood the depth of her sadness, but she threw herself into her career several weeks later. The pain she experienced during this dark time came out in a dazzling collection of dark burgundy and black pieces. The demand could not be supplied fast enough, and Bella thought about hiring someone to assist her in the process. Yet that fell by the wayside when the end of the high season came, and many tourists went home. The creative slump began at that point, but she kept showing up at the table every morning to create something, anything.

A walk on the beach one morning proved to be beneficial when she came upon a stunning cluster of sea glass in shades of blues and greens. After carefully drilling holes in each one, she had beautiful one of a kind beads to slide onto memory wire. They became the focal point of the collection she had taken to Jane this morning, but, her lack of enthusiasm hit Bella hard. This was the third time she spoke with either a buyer or a store owner about her newest collection. They all had similar reactions, and it was only adding to the doubt she had been carrying around for the past few months.

The sound of her phone buzzing brought her out of her mental dialogue, but whoever was calling would have to wait until she was home. She wanted to forget her troubles for a short time, so she drove down Ocean Boulevard toward the farthest end of the beach. She slid off her heels before exiting the car to avoid getting any sand in them. When she walked out onto the soft sand, the cool breeze hit her face. The tide was going out, so there was plenty of area for her to walk.

Bella missed her mom, more than words could express, and the fact that her murder remained a mystery was equally upsetting. She was her biggest cheerleader, especially when her Father expected her to take over the business alongside Emmett. He continued to beg her to quit college so she could come home, but Bella would have none of that. Renee believed in her talents, as much as her professors did. Her Mom always wore her daughters' creations, and bragged about them to the patrons of CRS Realty.

It was in these quiet moments that the memories flooded back into her mind, the ones she set aside for the empty nights. There was no time in her life for a serious relationship, or so she had tried to convince herself. But if she was being truthful to herself, deep down she knew she needed someone to brighten her life, to show her the love she craved. A deep sigh escaped her body while she looked out over the ocean. Was it possible that she could ever allow someone to come into her world?

The solitude of the inlet eased her mind for a short time, but she needed to get back home. Bella created all of her jewelry from her spare bedroom. She needed to focus her energy on the simple acts of drilling, hammering metal, and selecting the proper color schemes. No sooner that she sat down in her car than her phone went off again. It was the second missed phone call from her brother in the span of approximately an hour. Emmett never called this frequently, so she assumed it was an urgent matter. There was no way she could have prepared herself for the news he gave her.

~CH~

The following day, Agent Edward Cullen was waiting in one of the rooms set aside for questioning. This was only his second week working for the Investigations Bureau of North Myrtle Beach. He had just moved from Columbia, where he was a field agent for the Law Enforcement Division, to the low country to start his life over. The politics of the agency were wearing on him. He was looked over for positions time and time again, only to be given assignments that were beneath him. The time had come for him to get out of there. The transfer was relatively easy between the departments. His parents, Carlisle and Esme, helped him to move to Cherry Grove.

He had the file for the Senator's murder spread out across the table in front of him. This was the third murder in the past nine months to occur in the area, which lead him to believe there was a serial killer behind this. The first victim was a John Doe; he was killed in a similar manner…multiple stab wounds to the torso, as well as being hung from the rafters of the underside of a beach house. Ironically, the second person was the Senator's wife, Renee; except in her case, she was blindfolded. There were rope marks found around her neck, but her body was not discovered in the same way as the other two victims. The killer had set it in a dumpster over near forty-eighth avenue. All of the houses on that street were fully searched for any DNA evidence but nothing was found. This murderer was good at evading the police and covering his trail.

It was cases such as this one that piqued his interest.

He looked up when there was a knock on the door, and a woman was escorted in by one of the officers. Immediately, he was captivated by her physical beauty…long, lush brown hair, deep eyes that were the same shade, and a face that he dreamed of for years. They stared at each other for several moments. She was lost in his intense gaze, barely able to focus long enough to introduce herself as the Senator's daughter, Bella Swan. Her name was etched in his mind, and when they shook each other's hand, it was like nothing either one had felt before.

"I am so very sorry for you and your family," he began. "The alibi you gave the police checked out perfectly. I wanted to meet you and your brother in person, though, because we have reason to believe there is a serial killer in the region. This is the third murder within the past nine months, and each one has similar features."

"Wait a minute…did you say a serial killer?"

"Unfortunately, I did, Bella, but what worries me more is that this person could be aiming at you or your brother. I'm not going to beat around the bush, but it's very possible the two of you are in a lot of danger. Do you know of any one that would have any grievance against your family?"

She blinked several times while considering this possibility, yet no one particular to her mind.

"I'm not certain if it's the lack of my ability to concentrate now, but I honestly can't think of anyone that…that would want…oh god, I'm so very sorry," she said as her emotions got the better of her. His heart ached to give her comfort because it was the right thing to do. Only a person devoid of any emotions could resist what he was reaching out to do at that moment.

He had never wanted to hold any woman in his life as much as he wanted to hold Bella Swan.

The sensation of his strong arms around her did not go unnoticed even while she was letting out her emotions. There were not enough words to describe how warm and safe she felt in them. It was the comfort she needed now as she literally cried on his shoulder; she kept mumbling apologies to him.

"You've been through a traumatic experience that no one should ever have to go through. The fact that there is someone on the street who might be watching you and your brother is more than enough to send someone into emotional over load," he said as she sat back in the chair.

"My world…my life…damn, it's all falling apart now. What do I need to do to stay safe?"

He saw pain in her eyes, the kind he wanted to replace with happiness. There was an undeniable pull he felt toward her, and she could not ignore that this was the first time she felt a sense of calm in the past few twenty-four hours. The look of concern in his emerald eyes hit her in the heart. Despite the misery she felt over the horrific death of her father, she saw something in him that made her want to open up to him.

"I am going to program my number into your phone, Bella. This is not a situation that we can take lightly."

After she pulled out her phone, his fingers brushed over hers as she handed it over to him.

"How am I supposed to live now? I feel vulnerable, exhausted. Emmett's handling the details of the funeral, but I fell like a mess," she confessed to him. "I'm…scared for my life."

"I want you to call me the second anything happens that seems questionable. One way or another, these murders _will_ be solved, and I'll be damned before I let something can happen to _you_."

The emphasis on certain words was not lost on her. Edward offered to walk with her out to her car, and she happily accepted. He reminded her to call him no matter what time it was. As she drove out of the parking lot, he felt as though something about his world had begun to change with meeting Bella Swan.

~CH~

Emmett gave his little sister a giant squeeze after she came into the realty office. They were trying to clean out their Dad's personal items, and she let him know about her meeting with Agent Cullen. What she did not tell him was that, even in the midst of this hell he was all she could think about. Yes her world was falling to pieces, but the comfort he offered her was nothing less than perfect. Cleaning out the shelves was tearing them apart. The pictures of their parents over the years was making Bella cry even harder, and she had to get out of the room. She stood in the middle of the downstairs lobby, holding her face with her hands. An older man was pounding on the glass door, trying to get her attention. He was visibly upset, probably because the office was closed. He would not leave until she finally went to speak with him.

"Sir, I'm sorry, we're closed due to a family emergency," she said while brushing back tears.

"I don't give a fuck if you are closed. There is a problem with the beach house that I spent a shitload of money on, and I want you to take care of it," he said in a very loud manner. Emmett came walking down the stairs just in time to hear him.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked as he stood next to Bella,

"This stupid bitch doesn't seem to understand that I need some fucking help, or I'm going to beat the shit out of someone."

Emmett let out a heavy breath while trying not to let his anger get out of control. Bella, on the other hand, was losing it quickly. Keeping her emotions together was not very easy for her now, and she was thankful that her brother took over the conversation. While they talked about the problems the man was having in the beach house, she escaped to the privacy of a separate office to make a phone call. Something about this man made her feel deeply uncomfortable. She dialed the number with shaky hands, but felt relief upon hearing the voice that flooded her brain. He would be at the realty office within a matter of minutes.

~CH~

Edward was not expecting to hear from her that soon after she left the department, but she did exactly what he instructed her to do. Another officer was joining just in case he needed back up. Bella's voice sounded very distraught over the phone, more so than when they spoke earlier, causing him to feel on edge. Upon driving up into the front of the realty office, he saw Emmett walking outside with another man. Edward and the officer approached them with a few questions, but Emmett explained the situation. The man apologized profusely for his outburst earlier, and asked if he could talk directly with Bella. His request was obviously denied, but he was assured she would know about his apology. Once the man was gone, Edward followed Emmett inside because he wanted to talk with her. They found her sitting in one of the chairs in a back room, crying quietly. It nearly broke his heart to see her like this.

"Bella, Agent Cullen is here to talk to you, and that old shit wanted me to tell you he was sorry for the way he talked to you. He was having trouble with the fucking washing machine, and when I told him I would have a repairman to come to the house tomorrow, he was fine. You know we get assholes like that," Emmett said while she looked over to look at them.

"Thank you…I could not face him, knowing that he wanted to possibly hurt you or me," she responded.

He put his hands down on the table to look at his sister.

"Whatever happens, please do not go back to the way you were after mom was buried. I feel like I almost lost you too Bella. It was months before Dad and I saw you come back to us," he expressed to her with a serious tone.

A few stray tears began to fall down her cheeks, and Edward turned to ask Emmett if he could have a few minutes alone with her. As he walked down the hall, he wondered why he wanted to speak privately with her. Once they were alone, Edward pulled up a chair next to her.

"I know you're under a tremendous amount of stress, Bella, and I can only begin to imagine the pain you are in," he said while taking her hand in his. "Would you allow me to do something for you tonight? Can I make dinner for you?"

The nearness of him was making her feel emotions that she had pushed away for a very long time.

"I don't have the willpower to say no to you, Edward," she told him while he rubbed his thumb over her skin. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I was leaving for the day when you called me," he said. "Now would you like to follow me to my house? I don't live very far from here actually, just off the boulevard near Tilghman Beach."

She gave him a smile, the first genuine one that had crossed her face in a few days.

"That sounds very inviting. I'm not sure if I will be the best possible company, but I would love to have dinner with you," she said as they passed Emmett in the hallway. Edward told him that they were going to his home for dinner, and he walked her out to her car. She followed him as he drove the short distance to a one of the older homes. He led her into the house after opening her car door, and it was the kind of place she could be very comfortable in.

Letting someone take care of her needs for a change was slightly foreign to Bella now. She was used to her independence, yet this felt remarkably good. All he wanted her to do was to sit back on the oversized sofa and relax, which was something she had not done lately. Admittedly, she knew he was a virtual stranger, but it was impossible to deny the pull she felt towards him.

Edward was thinking almost the exact same thing in the kitchen. He would ask her the occasional question to make sure he was making the right dinner for her. For one reason or another, he was determined to bring some happiness back into her life. Throughout dinner, they kept gravitating towards each other, as if the other was too far away. He learned that she was a jewelry designer, but she softly confessed that she was starting to feel a degree of burn out. When he asked to see the bracelet she was wearing, she took it off and slid it into his hand.

"I may not know much about jewelry, Bella, but this is amazing. The fact that you make all of this by yourself is nothing short of fantastic. What is holding back your creativity besides the obvious?"

She let out a long held breath.

"For months I was on fire…unable to make bracelets and rings fast enough. It was like a switch was turned on. Right before Mama was murdered, something felt off, I guess you could say. I…I shut down for a few months, but that was to be expected. Then it came back, full force for a short time, and I showed the latest collection to one of the store managers that normally raves over my creations. She was not thrilled with them, nor were the other two."

She stopped for a moment, and he took her hand in his again.

"If you don't mind, I would love to see what you have made recently. Is it possible that your opinion of your own work is too hard? We are usually our own worst critic, but if it's anything like your bracelet, then I'm sure it is great."

"Edward, you are the first person that has made me feel better about designing," she said as she looked up at his face. "I've been fighting this huge battle by myself, and it's hard for me to explain this _warmth_ I feel when I'm near you."

"It apparent that you need someone in your life that is by your side. I know we just met today, but I want to know you, Bella Swan. I believe fate pushed us together for some reason, even if it was not for the best reason."

He ran his finger over her cheek to brush away the tear that fell, but she grabbed his hand to press it to her face. There was an emotional shift between them and the pull toward each other became stronger.

"This is the first time in months that someone has not only heard me, but listened to what I had to say with an open heart. More than anything, you make me want to live again, to open up to the possibilities in front of my eyes," she said as he leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"I'll be right here for you, making sure you are safe and always making sure you are inspired, Beautiful."

In her heart, she already felt that and so much more.


	2. Chapter 2 Healing Begins

**Chapter 2 Healing Begins**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Twilight**

**Hey y'all. I hope everyone is enjoying the new fic. Thank you all for your reviews. I love my readers so very much! I would like to thank Kitty Masen for her excellent beta skills. And I have to tip my hat at my prereaders, The DVS1 and flamingpen18. Now back to the beach.**

Senator Swan's funeral was very large and the media circus that ensued was inevitable. The police were no closer to solving the murder than they were the day the body was found. No one heard from the murderer; fortunately, no other major crimes had been committed in the time that followed. Two weeks had passed and now Bella was sitting in her craft room staring out the window. She had written her morning pages, which was one of her daily creative exercises. Ironically, most of her musings were about the man she was falling harder for every day…Edward Cullen.

He stayed by her side during the funeral, shielding her from the onslaught of photographers. They had lunch or dinner together, and he saw more of her art work. When he told her it was impressive, she was overjoyed, mostly because he was the one saying that. The time they spent together was drawing them closer to each other, but she was still scared. Sometimes, he was as close to her as the next breath of air, and the tension between them was growing every day. Admittedly, she felt safest when he was near, more than at any other time in the past few weeks.

Bella was tired of keeping everyone out of her life, tired of being an emotional recluse. Then she had an epiphany…_the decision she made to be alone had a direct impact on her creativity. _As she sat back in her chair, it felt as though a weight was lifted from her shoulders. For several minutes, she saw flashes of the past few months go through her mind…the grief, the fear, even the bright moments of motivation were surrounded by this decision.

She was propelled out of her seat, down the hall, and into the bedroom where she left her phone to charge. It was time she took the bull by the horns because life had waited long enough. Bella called Jane to let her know that she would bring the collection to her the following morning. The word 'no' was not an option this time. If she wasn't going to work with Bella, then she could take her business elsewhere. On the other end of the telephone line, Jane sat in silence, dumbfounded by her audacity. They came to an agreement after several minutes; Bella would bring over half of the collection tomorrow and the other half on Monday. There would be an increase in the traffic for her boutique this weekend, if the statistics from the previous five years proved correct. Thus, Jane expected sales to be higher than they had been recently.

Setting the phone down, she felt euphoric about the negotiation. There was no way she could have done this a few months ago, but now it was easier than she imagined. After catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, Bella saw that there was a twinkle in her eyes that was not there earlier. Yet she also saw that she was in need of a haircut. It was time her physical appearance reflected the changes she was making. After grabbing her bag, Bella headed to the beauty salon for a few hours.

~CH~

Emmett was surprised by his wife of four years when Rose came walking into the office with lunch. Their marriage had been under a tremendous amount of stress lately, and she wanted to do anything possible to improve their relationship. Bringing a home cooked meal to her husband while he was working never hurt. He was always appreciative of her culinary skills.

"How is business going now that the spring season has begun?" she asked him when they were seated in his office.

"Honestly, I wonder if Dad's murder had any effect on it. We've had more tourists make reservations in the past week than we have for months. Ben, Mike, and I can barely keep up with all of the work lately."

"Do you need for me to start coming back in to help y'all out? I can cover the desk with no difficulty, honey."

He set down the glass of tea and thought about her offer for a few minutes.

"I won't lie to you, Rose…we are in need of some help and a woman's touch," he began. "There are details of the business that only Dad took care for years. Now that I've taken them over, I see just how challenging they are. I never realized just how busy he was, so it makes sense why he was never around as often as we wanted him to be. Ben is doing fine here, but Mike is a different story."

"Tell me about your cousin…what is wrong?"

Emmett began recounting that he was the only one who seemed unaffected by his dad's passing. Yet he blew up over broken pencils and the fact that a stranger in Conway won the ninety million dollar jackpot in the state lottery. Strangely, any woman that walked inside the realty office swooned over his charming manner.

"He's a fucking mystery sometimes, but I'm willing to work with him," he told her. "Dad would want me to give him a fair shot anyway."

"And that's one of the things I love about you," she said while moving onto his lap. "Even when you aren't comfortable with a situation, you take the high road. Charles is probably looking down on you and smiling, Em. I know I'm certainly proud of what you are trying to accomplish."

He took a long look in his wife's eyes…had it been that long since he recalled that she was a knock out?

"We need to take some time away from the realty company soon, Rose," he said before kissing her cheek. "I've really missed you and the way we used to be."

"It won't take much for us to get back there, and I totally agree with you. Getting away from here would be one of the best things we could do for our marriage. It's about time we started trying to have a baby…I know I'm ready."

They shared a soft kiss for several moments before he could reply.

"If you are ready, Rose, then we'll need to see what happens in the next few weeks. I can't take any time off yet, not with Mike being such a loose cannon at the moment."

"I wasn't expecting for us to leave soon anyway, and I need to get back into the groove of the realty office also. Let me get this together before I go out into the front lobby," she said after getting off his lap.

"If you have plans for this afternoon, you don't need to be here, Rose."

"Actually, the only thing I needed to do was to make your day easier, so maybe this will help?"

He gave her a massive hug.

"Having you close by will make all the difference in the world, honey."

~CH~

Senator John Webber was sitting inside Duffy Street Seafood Shack waiting for his business associate to show up. He'd been there long enough to eat his weight in hushpuppies, so he was more than ready to get this meeting over. Finally, James Elliot sauntered into the place while waving at the waitresses as if he was the main attraction.

"You took your sweet time getting here," John said to him after he pulled up a chair to have a seat at the table.

"But you know you love me and your life just would not be the same without my brand of deviousness. Now how about a round of drinks on me?"

"No, no thank you, James. I'm here for business…nothing more, nothing less. You can get hammered on your own time."

"Well, if you feel that way, then I'll tell you why I asked you to lunch," he began in a hushed voice. "Since Swan's dead now, I need someone with _political clout_ to help me. I offered him some _funds _several months, but he hastily declined me. You see, that made me really unhappy because he needed my help, and I was more than willing to assist him. Is it possible that you are in the same position now?"

John pulled his head back to get a really hard look at this character across the table from him.

"What the hell are you saying exactly? Are you talking about bribery?"

"Oh come on, Senator Webber…you make it sound like I'm a common crook. All I want is to come to a mutual agreement like every other politician does when they need support. We'll have each other's backs…think about the possibilities."

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do right now, James," he said after standing up. "I'm walking out of here and I don't ever want to hear another fucking word from you again. You've crossed a line with your so called offer."

As he walked away, James took a deep breath, looked over his shoulder, and thought about the consequences of poor decision making on the Senator's part.

~CH~

Rose and Ben spent most of the afternoon fielding calls and confirming dates for rentals. They greeted the guests that came in for extra linens or to ask questions. The repairman that came by let them know that he worked on the washing machine for the house on fifty-second avenue. Another guest called to let them know that the air conditioner was broken in the house. Emmett came out of the office several times, but he rarely, if ever saw Mike talking with a guest.

All at once, there was a loud outburst from the back room.

"Yes, I'm the one that's fucking managing everything around here, Jess. Didn't you understand me the other night or are you that dense?" Mike exclaimed as he walked to the front. "You're a riot…a real riot. I'm out of this, and remember…I'm the best lay you never had, bitch."

Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch him.

"What…why are y'all looking at me?" he said.

"Come back here in the office with me," Emmett told him.

"Ooohhh, I've been called to the principal's office," he said sarcastically.

Emmett closed the door behind him hard. "I don't know what the hell is going on with you, but I'm giving you one more opportunity to change your attitude or you're fired, Michael. No one needs to know what is going on in your personal life. I could care less whom you are having sex with, but you sure as hell aren't going to lie about who is the manager."

"It's no big deal, and you know Uncle Charles wanted family to stick together. I can make this place better than it is now, Em, and you know that. With my knowledge of marketing from years working for Federated, this realty company won't be able to handle my greatness."

Emmett had to hold back from laughing hard over his cousin's grandiose statements.

"Alright…go out there, do your job, but for the love of humanity, do it well."

Mike left the room with a smile, determined to show them who really was the person in charge.

~CH~

A few hours later, Bella emerged from Awakening Day Spa feeling like a much more confident version of herself. A good haircut, some dark red highlights, and a facial made all the difference. She could not remember the last time her hair was this shiny or soft. Her next stop was Stein Mart at Barefooot Landing because she wanted a few new clothes to wear. She also perused the selection of lingerie and beeswax candles. Once she was out of the store, Bella loaded her bags into the trunk of her silver convertible. She pulled out her phone to send a text message to Edward after she sat in the driver's seat.

_Come to my place for dinner tonight at six. I have something special planned. Your girl._

In a matter of moments, there was an incoming text.

_So long as we are together, it's already special. Always yours, Edward._

A wonderful rush of warmth surged through her soul. They had grown very close since her father's murder, and she wanted to let him fully into her heart. He held her when she broke down in tears, listened to her midnight ramblings when she couldn't sleep. There was no pressure form him to move their blossoming relationship at a faster pace than she wanted. They shared a few soft kisses, but tonight, she planned on letting him know that she was falling hard for him. It was only a matter of a quick drive back to Cherry Grove to her house in order to get the front porch ready for a romantic night.

~CH~

He sat back on the ratty old couch in the apartment he was renting off Highway seventeen. The day was over, but there were plans to make. Since the senator died over two weeks ago, his murder was becoming old news. The investigation was making few headlines because he'd left no clues at any murder scene. This was easy for him to pull off because he knew what he was doing. Too bad his victims were dumb as dirt. Renee was easy to abduct…a little bit of chloroform was all it took to pull her into the car. She was working late nights at the realty office; amazingly, no one was concerned with her safety. He recalled every sweet detail of that night, every violent act he committed against her, and how she begged, pleaded for him to stop. It brought him deep satisfaction to shove the knife into her skin. He was reliving every moment in his mind.

"You never even knew it was coming, did you?" he asked out loud. "I loved watching your fucking eyes roll in the back of your damn head when I shoved that knife deep into your heart. Your blood was all over the fucking wall…no one looked in that abandoned warehouse off ninety. And then it caught fire a few hours later when the police were fucking busy discovering your naked body, Renee."

He chuckled darkly.

"If only your dearly, departed douchebag of a husband had enough sense to listen to me in the first place."

He sat there for a short time contemplating when he would make his next move, and who his next victim might be.

~CH~

Edward left his house at about a quarter to six, but he was in a hurry to get to her place. They had shared a few more messages over the past few hours. She was up to something, and it had all of his attention. It improved his rather stressful day because he was deeply involved with the homicides of the past few months. There were no clues, no leads; to say the least, it was frustrating for him. He spent some time in the forensics department going over the evidence from the crime scenes. This person took some sort of sick pleasure in stabbing his victims, and Edward was doing research as to the type of blade he was using. If he could narrow that down, then he might have a lead. He was tired of hitting walls with these cases.

For now, though, he was going to push aside the insanity of his day, and focus on tonight, this weekend. He drove up into the winding driveway that led to Bella's stone cottage. It was off the road, which gave it a wonderful sense of seclusion. The front porch was lit with candles and twinkling lights; the sound of soft jazz was playing when he walked up to the door. She called him to come on inside.

He stood in the living room speechless when he saw her walk in…she positively glowed with confidence and beauty. The bright pink dress was nothing like the other clothes he'd seen her wear. Her hair looked gorgeous as it tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. He reached out for her to come to him.

"Have I told you lately that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen?" he asked before letting his lips brush over hers. A small shudder went down her spine as he held her.

"I'm not sure that you have, but I never tire of hearing it from you, Edward. How was the rest of your day?"

"It was filled with the residue of past crimes committed by a sociopath, but what else can you expect from the life of an investigative field agent?"

She let out a soft giggle that he wanted to hear over and over.

"I'm sure you are hungry, and dinner is ready for us out on the porch. How does grilled shrimp, rice pilaf, and sautéed green beans sound for tonight?"

"It's absolutely wonderful, but I hope you didn't go to much trouble," he said as they walked together holding hands.

"Actually, I had a small breakthrough this morning when I was sitting at my desk," she said. "When I was writing in my morning journal, I realized I made a choice that had a direct impact on my creativity, Months ago, after Mama died, I decided that I wanted to be alone, as cut off from the rest of the world as possible. Maybe I expected that living like a recluse would somehow make my life as a designer better. Anyhow, it had the opposite effect, and it hindered the process."

They were sitting across from each other now.

"I don't want to be on my own anymore, Edward. It's far too challenging for me to be cut off from other people, but there is one man I want in my life more than any other…you."

"I've been waiting to hear you say those words, Bella. Since we met, you've consumed my every thought, and, since I'm being honest, my every desire. But I was not about to push you any further than you were willing to go. Besides, I was willing to wait as long as I needed to for you."

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," she said while peering over her wine glass at him.

They exchanged warm glances and he occasionally kissed her hand. Once they were done eating, he took the dishes inside for her while she relaxed in the swing. He stood in the doorway, gazing at the woman that captivated him. When he called her name, she waked over to him.

"May I have this dance, Beautiful?" he asked her as she relaxed into this embrace. Bella let out a soft sigh as she nearly melted next to him. She could smell the water notes of his cologne that mingled with the scent of his skin. He moved the hair that had fallen into her face away from it so he could get lost in her chocolate eyes. When the music came to a certain point, he leaned her back in a dip; then he slowly pulled her back up to him.

"I want you to know that I'm in love with you, Edward," she whispered as she searched his eyes.

He captured her lips in a soft, soul bearing kiss that made her cling to him tighter. His tongue moved against hers in a slow dance that made him ache to never stop kissing her. The feeling of her hands moving up his arms and shoulders was heaven. She moaned out his name when he pulled back for a much needed breath of air.

"And I'm deeply in love with you, also, my Bella," he told her before drawing her closer for another deep, open mouth kiss. They were lost in each other, their love growing more by the second. He let his hands roam over her back, to the very top of her curvy ass, while she began playing with his hair. She had wanted to feel it between her fingers, but, more than that, she wanted to feel his mouth moving next to hers.

For a few moments, they swayed together, and she kept her head on his chest while they moved together to the music. This was exactly what she longed for…a resting place for her soul, a deep love she could share with a wonderful man, and the beginning of her true authentic expression. When she looked into his eyes, Bella knew it was all possible with Edward, and he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was all he ever wanted. This night was the start of their forever.

**Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what your thoughts are. XXOO**


	3. Chapter 3 The Nearness of You

**Chapter 3 The Nearness of You **

**Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight**

**I'm thrilled you all are here on this journey with me. My readers are wonderful. Thank you for prereading, TheDVS1 and flamingpen18. And to Cloe Marrie, I appreciate everything you do to make my fics better. Y'all are the best! **

He knew exactly how Rose's day was planned out, but the fact that she was now working at CSR Realty was an added twist to the game. The fact that he had to alter courses and change the routine up, it angered him considerably, and just the least little thing could set him off at any point.

As he sped down the road on highway seventeen, these thoughts went through his head as he swerved in and out of heavy traffic. The tourists were already settling into hotels and condominiums, so it made sense that there were more people out on the road. Now he was grumbling under his breath, cursing each one out. He was cut off right before he reached the exit for Cherry Grove, and that was all it took for him to unleash his wrath.

He followed the car a little too closely, and, as soon as they pulled into Platt's Market, he parked next to the idiot who cut him off. The older man stayed inside the safety of his car because the look on the other guys' face was murderous.

"Why'd you fuck with me?" he screamed through the window. "You're asking for trouble, old man."

The old man turned on the ignition as fast as possible when he saw him getting a baseball bat out of his trunk. In the blink of an eye, he was gone from the parking lot. Neither one of them was going to forget what happened. The older man drove in the direction of the police department.

~CH~

It was all coming together in ways Bella had not anticipated. Jane was eyeing the coral and silver collection as if she had never seen anything this stunning before. Bella sat back and enjoyed the silence. She alone had caused her to be speechless. That was far from the norm in their business relationship. Jane was usually critical of everything, looking for flaws and anxiously hoping for anything that was not perfect.

This time, though, Bella had walked into the store with a new found confidence that she wore well. They were sitting at her desk while Jane perused the pieces, imagining how her clients would react to something this _different._

"You've got my attention this time," Jane said as she looked up from her desk. "This is more impressive than the last collection you brought in here. No one else is using this color combination this season, so yours is bound to stand out amongst the competition. I need more earrings, though. Is that feasible within the next week?"

"First of all, thank you Jane. Secondly, I can bring in more for the right amount. Since you've apparently given this high priority, let's settle this deal. I'm looking for at least five hundred dollars, which I know is a modest amount given your history," Bella said as she looked directly at Jane.

"You drive a very hard bargain, Bella. Are you going to showcase this at any other boutiques? I'd like for my store to be the one that has exclusive rights to your merchandise."

She looked at Jane for a few moments before speaking.

"I'm not interested in a contract. You alone would not have enough money to cover how much I require now. My price has gone up recently since the demand for my creations has increased. It's simple laws of economics."

Jane let out a heavy sigh as she reached for her company card.

"Let me guess…I'm the last buyer you've spoken with this morning?"

"What gave you that idea?" Bella smirked. "For your information, I've been to Callahan's in Little River and Serendipty's. They were happy to pay me double what my original asking price was. I'm sure you don't want to lose out to their customers."

"I will say this much about you, Bella Swan. You've become quite the shrewd business woman since I've met you. I'd be afraid to have you as my enemy."

"As long as we can see eye to eye, then I doubt it'll come to blows," she said before leaving the store.

~CH~

Edward was reading over the police reports that were sitting on the desk. He needed to focus on the main task right now, even if he had spent the past five minutes talking with his girl. She sounded almost as beautiful on the phone as she was in person. They'd had a wonderful evening together, and he was planning on surprising her with flowers later on today. It all depended on how the rest of his afternoon went. The chief, Harry Clearwater, took that moment to walk out of his office and up to Edward's desk.

"There was a man that came by a few hours ago. He gave us some information that you might want, Cullen."

He tossed the thin manila folder in his direction, and he opened it to read over the paperwork. It was very short, and there had to be a reason why Harry bought it directly to him. Then it hit him as he read it over again. The behavior of the person who came up to this man's car sent up a red flag in his mind. Any other person would not have become _this _angry over being cut off in traffic. Most people would have shrugged it off. Unless if they were displaying characteristics of a possible criminal.

Edward went to the bookshelf to take down a book on criminal psychological profiles. He flipped through the index until he came to the chapter on sociopaths. While he already knew far than most people did about this kind of person, it couldn't hurt to look and make sure he was correct. For a few minutes, he read over some of the highlighted portions of the text. The car that his potential assailant drove was a black SUV, but he wasn't able to see the plate numbers. A few points stood out to him, though…they normally had poor emotional control, an impulsive nature, and were easily outraged over insignificant events. All three of these facets fell under antisocial personality disorder. It was not uncommon for a sociopath to display this kind of behavior among other people as well.

He wanted to speak with the man who made the report, so as he scanned the files he ran across his name which was Sam Uley. Edward called the number that Sam had left with the department. They needed to get a sketch of the perp to keep with the file. Edward asked if he could come in to speak with him this afternoon. Sam, who was still shaken up over the incident, agreed to that. About an hour later, he was sitting across from the forensics artist in the department. There was not much that he could recall about the man, though, since he was wearing a USC baseball cap and dark sunglasses. The man had no distinguishable marks or tattoos that he could see. Once they were done, Edward gave him a business card and told him to call if he remembered any more details.

They needed a break in this case soon. He was worried constantly about how safe Bella was, not to mention her brother. While Emmett Swan was an intimidating person, anyone with enough motivation could easily kill him. The sociopath that murdered his parents could very well have his eye on either him or Bella. That fact alone scared Edward more than he would openly admit. It was absolutely necessary for him to push his fear aside and get back to work. He was determined to be the hero that they needed.

~CH~

Since Senator Swan had rejected his offer while he was living, James Elliot decided it would be appropriate to embarrass the hell out of his living relatives. He left behind a daughter and a son who was married. His plan was to go to the media, specifically _The Sun News_ and _The State _newspaper. He could make a claim that Charles was another corrupt politician who accepted bribes on a regular basis. Who the hell really cared if it was true or not? If there was just enough doubt in the minds of a few, then it was more than worth the effort.

Then an idea struck him…why not use this as leverage to blackmail the Senator's kids? It was perfect and very easy to pull off. It would be impossible for them to know everything their father did behind closed doors. Now he only needed to get some clear ideas and create an imaginary paper trail just in case they wanted to do any investigation. As he settled into the desk chair and turned on his laptop, James smiled deviously.

~CH~

"Emmett…for the love of humanity, it's really time to go home. I know you've taken over as the CEO of the realty company, but you have a life outside of this place. I'd like for us to have dinner at our home for a change," Rose said as she began flipping off the light switches.

"I'm coming, honey, but I thought you loved the Oyster Shack down near the high school. It keeps you out of the kitchen so that you can tend to _other things_," he replied as he wagged his eyebrows at her.

She just shook her head and rolled her eyes at her husband.

"By the way, we had a phone call from one of the guests that are staying in Carolina Breeze. They spoke with Mike, but they called back. Apparently, he won them over from what they told me."

"Really? I've never considered my cousin to have a charming bone in his body. What did they say?" he asked as they walked out of the door together.

"First of all, they were impressed that we had a graduate from the International Business School of Carolina at the company. Then they went on to say that he was very knowledgeable about Senator Swan's recent campaign. I humored them for the most part, but Mike's blowing smoke, isn't he?"

Emmett let out a booming laugh as he clutched his stomach.

"He went to USC for a year with the intention of getting a degree in business administration," he said after he stopped laughing. "And he knew as much about Dad's campaign as the dead jellyfish that wash up on the shore. Michael has always embellished the truth."

"But what is his motivation? What makes him behave this way?" she asked as they got into the car.

"When we were kids, he and I were playing out in the ocean," he began. "There were shark sightings for weeks, but no one was attacked. This particular time that we were out there, a shark came near us, probably within ten feet. The lifeguards called us out of the water for safety precautions. Now I can tell you firsthand that _nothing_ happened, but his version of the story has become very far fetched."

"Let me guess…he was attacked by the shark."

"Oh yeah, but there's more to it now. The shark was fifteen feet long. I wasn't even in the ocean, and he was unconscious for at least a few hours after being attacked. You have to take everything Mike says with a huge grain of salt."

Rose thought about all of this as they pulled into the driveway, and Bella was sitting in her car waiting for them. She walked out as they parked their car with a small bag in her hand.

"Well, what in the world are you doing here, little sister? We're glad to see you, though. What's going on in your neck of the woods?"

"I had a few meetings today about the new line, and I needed to come by and thank you both personally," she said while giving them hugs. "There is a token of my appreciation for both of you in here."

When Bella handed Rose the bag, she looked through it and smiled at Bella.

"You really didn't have to get a gift card for the SunCruz Casino. What made you get this for us?"

Before she could reply, Emmett pulled the card out of her hands and gave his sister a kiss on her cheek.

"This is way cool, Rose, so quit looking a gift horse in the mouth. You're the one that wants to take some time off soon, so maybe we can take a trip down to Myrtle Beach. I'm going inside now, but do either one of you want anything?"

They both told him no as Bella told Rose to look deeper into the bag. There was a coral and silver bracelet inside.

"This is beautiful! I'm very grateful and honored that you would give me something so precious," she replied with another hug. "I know we've never been that close, but I hope that can change in the near future."

"It can and it will. I wish I could stay longer, but there is someone special coming over to my place in a few minutes."

"Is it the field agent that has taken over the case? Emmett has mentioned his name in passing."

Bella could not help but smile over the mere thought of Agent Edward Cullen.

"Yes, that is him, and, oh god…we're in love, Rose! He's everything I've ever wanted and just being near him makes me feel that much more alive," she paused for a moment. "The first time we had dinner together, I let him look at the jewelry I was wearing and he was very impressed."

Rose could tell from the way that Bella looked starry eyed that she was indeed in love.

"I'm very happy and elated for you, Bella. The last time I saw you look like this was well before your parents' murder."

"It has been a long time, in fact, too long since I've been this content," Bella said just as a text message came in. After reading it, she bid Rose good bye, and she agreed to keep in touch more often. Bella got into her car, started the engine, and left for her cottage. The love of her life was on his way.

~CH~

The selection was vast, but Edward knew he wanted to find the right flowers for his girl. He'd googled information on the meaning of flowers while he was at work. When he learned that Iris's represented inspiration, he knew that was exactly what he needed to get for her. There was a stunning purple arrangement tied with a fabric bow that caught his eye, and he walked out to the car with it. Before driving off, he sent a text message to let Bella know he was on his way to her place.

As he drove over to Bella's, he kept an eye out for the black SUV. He wondered for a moment if there was a connection between this person and the serial killer? There was always that possibility, but, for now, it was impossible to connect this incident to the murders. There were no cameras on the roads in Cherry Grove, so they would not be able to find the person that way. Tomorrow, he would make a stop by Platt's to see if anyone had seen what occurred. For now, he was content to pull into her driveway.

There was something about being here that brought him a sense of peace. His life in Columbia was one long nightmare. He'd been alone for too long and wrapped up in his career. Yet it didn't bring him the fulfillment he was looking for on a daily basis. The constant politics of the agency were part of the reason he was unhappy. After living a working at the beach, even for a short time, he was more satisfied with the quality of his life. Work was more challenging, and it didn't hurt that he'd found the woman he considered his soul mate.

As he walked to the front door, Edward could hear the sound of music playing. He couldn't stop smiling when Bella opened the door to welcome him inside. There were several candles lit around the room, which made her skin glow.

"You brought me flowers? I wasn't expecting that, but they are gorgeous. Pardon me while I put them in a vase," she said after he handed them to her.

He relaxed on the couch as he watched her leave the room.

"I have dinner ready if you're hungry," she called out. Before he could respond, she waked out with a dinner tray filled with dishes. He'd missed home cooked dinners for so many months. They laughed over steak and salad, and he told he to watch out for anyone in a black SUV driving erratically. Bella didn't question why he said this because she trusted him. Why else would he tell her this if it wasn't for her personal safety?

After they put the dishes in the kitchen, he took her into his arms. Diana Krall's version of "Just the Way You Are" was playing, and he wanted to dance with her. Her body fit so very well next to his. She smiled at him as he softly sang the words into her ear.

"You never told me that you could sing," she said.

"It's a small talent of mine, but I only do it around certain people who are very important to me."

"I'm going to make the assumption that I'm one of them?"

He took her face in his hands, looked deeply into her endless brown eyes, and proceeded to kiss her soft mouth deeply. His tongue slowly moved over hers while her body shuddered in his arms. The passion they shared was building with every second. One of them would pull back only to seek the other's mouth again. He soon moved toward her neck, and then he inhaled the softness of her perfume.

"Beautiful…I love you so much, more than anything," he whispered. "I need to know if I can have more of you tonight?"

Bella thought about his question only for a few moments. She certainly wanted more of him, as much as he was willing to give her. When her eyes met his, she found her answer in them.

"Let's go onto bed, Edward, but I hope you have a change of clothes," she paused to look him up and down, seductively. "I don't plan on letting you leave tonight," she responded as she took his hand in hers. He placed soft kisses to her skin as they walked up to her petite room. She excused herself to change into something more appealing. In the bathroom, Bella looked through her small collection of slips in her side cabinet. There was a blush colored one that she absolutely loved to wear. After sliding it on, she brushed through her hair before stepping back into her room. He was waiting for her, lying back on her bed. As soon as she walked toward him, he extended his hand to her.

"The Irises I gave you don't even come close to how amazing you look," he said while pulling her next to him. "We're not going to make love tonight, but I can't be away from you any longer. The nights have become too long and depressing without you in my arms."

"I have a confession…I hoped that you would stay tonight. We make each other feel alive; at least I know that's how I feel when I get lost in your eyes."

"Beautiful, my world is much brighter since we met. I never expected to find the other half of my soul when I moved but here you are."

She had a look of awe on her face as he began placing butterfly kisses over her face.

"You've found that place inside me that was hurting, Edward. And because you love me this much, I've found myself again. It's like feeling the rain after a drought, or seeing the sun after an endless night. I love you always."

"You're everything to me, Bella Swan, and always will be. I love you more than words can really say," he whispered next to her lips before they were swept up into another heart rendering kiss. They were wrapped up into each other's arms as sleep took over. They held each other all night, only waking to whisper a few words of affection to the other or to share a kiss. It was their heaven.

~CH~

He knew where she lived.

He knew her car.

What he didn't know was who her overnight visitor was.

**So much is going on. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you! XXOO**


	4. Chapter 4 An All Night Thing

**Chapter 4 – An All Night Thing**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight**

**Thank you all for being here. My readers are very dear to me, and I value your thoughts. My prereaders and my beta are invaluable to me. Thank you to The DVS1 and flamingpen18 for all of your help. Also, thank you to buggins74 for steeping in as the beta for this chapter. **

**There are parts of this chapter that are violent. Please keep that in mind as you read.**

The following morning, he discovered who her visitor was.

And that would not bode well for either one of them.

~CH~

Emmett was inside his office when there was a knock on the door. He looked up to see Ben standing there, but he automatically knew that there was something wrong.

"There is a man at the front who says he needs to speak with you and Bella right this minute. He seems rather impatient. Should I send him back here or do you want to see him?"

He ran his fingers over his face. "If he needs to speak with my sister, then he's going to have to wait. I'm coming up to the front in a minute." This was already a rough morning for Emmett. Besides the fact that Mike was coming in later since it was his late day, he and Rose had gotten in a huge fight. They weren't able to reach an agreement on the date of their overdue vacation. He wanted to settle on it soon, but she wasn't comfortable with the time he chose. It was a long night since he slept on the couch.

Now some mysterious person wanted to talk with him about god only knows what. He took a quick swallow of coffee before walking out of the room. In the front lobby, a thin, well-dressed man was waiting for him, and he introduced himself as James Elliot. A few minutes later, they were seated in the office with the door closed.

"Is Ms. Swan available to join us today?" he asked, but Emmett let him know otherwise.

"My younger sister is most likely at her home studio as we speak. She prefers not to be disturbed unless it's very important."

"Oh my," he began, "once you hear me out, you might believe that this is…significant."

Emmett cocked an eyebrow at the man who was busy opening his briefcase and shuffling papers. He set a few on the desk after closing it - then they locked eyes.

"Your dearly departed father was not the ethical person he appeared to be in the public eye," James began with a cocky smirk. "I have documentation of bribes that he freely accepted from me. You see, Mr. Swan, I made a few offers to him that he was unable to resist. He wanted my support for a questionable bill that will be passed in a few weeks. If he had access to just enough money, then he would be able to get the leverage he desperately needed."

Emmett read over the sheets of paper while James continues to make up his lies about the senator. It was rewarding for him to see him squirming in his seat. He had to hold back from laughing at this predicament that this young man was placed in. Not only was he was running a major real estate company after his father's death, but Emmett now had this in his lap. James wished he could pat himself on his back for a job well done.

"Pardon my French, but this is bull shit. My father would have never in a million years accepted any under the table bargain. Who the hell do you think you are by coming down here to my family's business with this…this filth?"

He shook his finger at Emmett. "First of all, I'm doing you a favor. I could have taken this to _The Sun _newspaper first thing this morning, but I graciously chose to speak with you. Now for your sister, I'm sure she would love to know that your father was like every other politician. Once I let the media know about this, your family will be ruined, along with the business."

They eyed each other for a few moments. Emmett knew which direction this was headed in, and he wasn't satisfied.

"I'm going to cut a deal with you," James said. "You all have until tonight at seven to let me know if I have a share of the realty company. I'll accept nothing less than fifty-five percent of it, which is more than generous. Meet me here at seven; otherwise, I make the call."

"You wouldn't dare blackmail us!" Emmett exclaimed as he stood up to face him.

"Why yes…as a matter of fact I would. You all will be pleased with the changes I'm going to implement since I'll have the controlling share," he said coldly before walking out of the room.

~CH~

After placing the order for more silver findings, Bella sat back in the chair, stretched her arms over her head, and smiled to herself. This was a productive morning, filled with a creative burst of energy. The table in the middle of the room was covered in a dozen new pieces for another collection. The facets of the Swarvorski crystals sparkled under the overhead lights. She smiled contentedly to herself as she arranged another antique silver bail. It looked delicate with the teal blue pendant she'd created an hour ago.

There was no doubt where all of this had come from. Edward made her feel alive, able, and adored. Last night was the first one where they slept together; she'd never felt so protected as in those precious hours. Every so often, Bella would wake up only to find him caressing her skin and whispering words of affection in her ear. They lingered in bed until it was absolutely necessary for him to get ready for work.

She was caught up in remembering his words at the door…_"Don't make any plans on ever sleeping alone again, Beautiful."_

Before he slipped out, they shared a deep, open mouth kiss that made her ache for more. The mere thought of Edward, the love of her life, made her toes curl and the butterflies flutter in her belly. All of this was new to her. Her last boyfriend was lackluster, and now she could hardly recall his name.

'Alistair? Jacob?' she thought to herself as she reached for the epoxy. It no longer mattered since her heart belonged to Agent Cullen. If she had not been interrupted by a knock at the door, Bella would have been happy to continue her work.

"Emmett? Why are you here?" she asked as she looked at her rumpled brother. "Is there something wrong?"

"We need to talk, little sister," he said while leaning on the door frame.

She invited him in, offered a glass of tea, but he was more interested in talking. After he took a seat on the sofa, Emmett handed over the documents James left behind, and she began scanning over them.

"None of this is true. Daddy never took a bribe - you and I know how he wanted to be different than other politicians. It was his hallmark and what made him unique," she muttered out. "I don't know why this low life person would accuse him."

"I don't think it's a simple accusation. These are contracts with signatures on them, and a notary stamp. It was only a matter of time before Dad went through with this," he told her while the weight of his words settled into her mind. This knowledge was frightening. Her father would never stoop so low as to involve himself in this kind of behavior.

"That's not the worst part, though," he began. "James demanded that we give him fifty-five percent of the business or he's talking to the press. This would be the nail in the coffin for all of us. We have to give him an answer tonight at seven. He's going to meet me at the office."

Bella scrunched her brow in response. Her brain was moving too quickly. She looked around the room, and focused on the picture of her Mom and Dad. The pain of missing them was more present now that ever.

"Oh god…why is he doing this to us?" she asked while getting up to walk around the room. "It's bad enough that he and Mom had to die at the hands of a freaking serial killer. Did he say why he wants a percentage?"

"He mentioned that he will implement some changes since he has the controlling share," he said from across her. "As much as I don't want him involved with CRS, our hands are tied, Bella. I seriously think it would be worse if he went to the press with the information. At least the business would still be running."

She picked the contracts back up to examine them. They looked authentic, but there was something off about it. After telling him that she wanted to make a copy of the forms, he followed her back into her studio. It had been some time since he was in there.

"You've been rather busy," he said while looking over the table covered in her designs. "Rose really liked the gift, and I appreciate the gift card. We need some time away, now more than ever."

She looked over her shoulder at her brother. The past few weeks had worn him out, and it was obvious in his expression. His shoulders were slumped; his posture was not what it used to be. Bella missed his jovial spirit more than she let on.

"I wanted to surprise y'all with something unexpected. It's about time that you and your wife get out of town for a few days. I'm sure Michael and Ben can handle everything."

He let out a long sigh.

"Mike is an asshole and he's not dependable. I can only imagine the shit he'd pull. Yeah, we need to take some time off, but I'm not comfortable leaving him and Ben in charge. "

After making the copies, she clipped the papers together and handed them back to Emmett.

"We'll make it through this. There is no other way around this other than giving him what he wants." she told him. When he asked how she became stronger lately, she smiled. "I can't keep closing myself off from others. And I know that our parents wouldn't want us to stop living. While I'm not comfortable with any part of this deal, I'm choosing the lesser of two evils."

Bella walked with him to the door and they said their goodbyes after deciding to give James what he wanted. The feeling that there was something unusual about the documents still lingered in the back of her mind.

~CH~

The stop Edward made by Platt's Market did some good even though none of the employees were able to recall any details from the previous morning. At least they were able to give him a copy of the security tape, which he took with to the department. The images from the parking lot were not clear since it was not a high resolution camera. The actual event took no longer than a few minutes. He saw Sam's car pull up and then the black SUV appeared. No license plate information was available on the tape. Harry came into the room to look over the tape with him, and they agreed after the fifth viewing that there were few leads available from it.

"Finding this person is not nearly as important as solving the other case," he said to him.

"Call me crazy, Harry, but I have this distinct impression that there is a connection between him and the serial killer. This kind of behavior follows along with typical sociopathic tendencies."

"While I'm not about to deny your deductive reasoning, tell me how the hell we're going to connect this with three murders? We need more to go on besides textbook knowledge."

Edward sat back, ran his fingers through his hair, and took a deep breath.

"You know I agree with you, but it would be foolish of us to dismiss any strange occurrence. Before I started working for the department, no one was anywhere close to solving the murders. We have to find any possible leads."

"And that's one of the reasons why I need you here," he said in response. "Any other agent would be intimidated by this, but you're taking this on without any hesitation. If I haven't said this yet, then forgive me - you're a fantastic agent, Cullen, no doubt about it."

After Harry walked out of the door, he kept those words in his mind. Edward knew that he had the ability to perform this job well. The frustrations of the case were getting to him. He picked up the file and began perusing over the crime scene photographs once more.

~CH~

Closing time could not come fast enough for Michael because he was meeting his new girlfriend, Heidi, for a date. Rose and Ben were tired of hearing about this. It was all he talked about to them. She looked over at Mike and bluntly said for him to shut the hell up at one point. There was something about her words that cut right through him, and he left a sizeable dent in the wall. She'd never witnessed his temper first hand, but it was enough to make Rose feel leery of him. At five o'clock on the nose, Mike was standing by the door, ready to leave. He didn't even say good bye to anyone, nor did he remember to take the bank deposit with him. Rose had everything ready for him near the back door, but he was in too much of a hurry to remember to pick it up. Emmett escorted her out through the front doors since he had to lock up. No one noticed that he left it behind.

"We need to get over this shit," he told her when he started the car. "Look…I'm sorry that I tried to push you into a date. If you want to wait another month, or three months for that matter, then I'm fine with it. Rose, I want us to make up."

She looked over at her husband, and his authentic apology struck her hard. A few unshed tears were falling from her lashes. As she brushed them aside, a few words began to form in her mind.

"You're right…it's important for us to move forward. Why don't we look at next weekend? If there is a problem, then Ben or Mike can handle it. Besides, it's only a forty-five minute drive from Myrtle Beach back here."

She began running her fingers over his leg. "And I have a few lace camisoles that you have yet to see. I'm sure you'll like the red one with the matching thong."

"Fuck me, Rose," he muttered while swerving the car into the garage. "Just for telling me that, I'm going to have my way with you."

He chased her after she got out of the car and into the house. In the blink of an eye, Emmett had his wife pinned next to the door. They were in the middle of enjoying the afterglow when a phone call from Michael interrupted them. He told Rose that he accidentally left the deposit bag near the back door. She rolled her eyes and said that they would take care of it for him.

"Emmett, I'll take care of this and I'll meet James for you," she said while getting dressed. "Just give me the contract. I'd rather you get dinner started for us."

"Are you sure that you don't mind doing this?"

She placed a soft kiss on his mouth. "James would want to talk to you until your ears would bleed. If it's only me there, then he'll thank me and go on his merry little way. I'll run in the back, grab the bag, and drop it off. Besides, when I get home, we can spend more naked time together."

"I like the sound of that," he said while giving her a quick hug. "Please be careful honey."

She ran off to get into the car. It was a quiet drive back to the office, and there was a car in the back lot. Since she assumed it was James, Rose got out and walked towards it, but she was grabbed from behind. A hand covered her mouth.

"You weren't the one I was hoping for, but you'll do. Now unlock the fucking door or die immediately," a dark voice whispered in her ear.

Panic surged through every vein as he dragged her through the back door after it was open. The papers she had spilled onto the floor. She desperately tried to get out of his hold, but he was having none of that. Immediately, he slammed her head next to the wall, covered her mouth, and began yelling at her.

"Come on…wake up worthless bitch! I'm not nearly done with you! And what is this?"

While Rose was still groggy, he took her into the front office and took the lid off the one hundred gallon tank aquarium. He proceeded to dunk her head into it a few times, but never long enough to drown her. He intended to unleash his pent up rage at her. The whole damn world had pissed him off today and he intended to show no mercy.

"I said for you to wake up and I fucking meant that!"

She shook her head, and looked into his face. He'd chosen to wear a ski mask.

"He was too much of a damn coward to come down here to meet me in person," he grumbled. "I'll leave him a message, though. I'm sure this will leave your husband heartbroken."

He bound her hands, but Rose was determined to get out of there alive. She kicked him in the chest, which caused him to fall backwards. He was only out of breath for a few moments, but he came roaring back towards her with a knife he pulled from an ankle holster. He cut into any of her flesh that he was near - legs, thighs, and arms. None of it mattered, but he was getting a deep release from the pain he was inflicting. Rose watched in agony as her blood began seeping out onto the wooden floor.

"You know I don't give a fuck about this! I've been the one who was hurt time and time again by the Senator!" he screamed.

At one point, he was close enough to stab her torso through her shirt. Even as weak as she was, and with all of the gashes, Rose kept fighting. She desperately wanted to survive this nightmare. Then he kicked her hard in the chest after standing up, so much that the sound of bones crunching echoed through the room.

"Oh I think you can take a little more pain," he snarled before breaking her jaw. She was near the point of begging for death. It had become too much. An idea came to his mind as he was laughing.

"This is the perfect way for your beloved husband to find you," he said while picking up her shaking body and slamming it into the aquarium. Glass went everywhere along with gallons of water. The menacing noise he made afterwards was chilling.

"Fuck…I enjoyed every moment of that," he said while picking up the knife. "Wouldn't want to leave a weapon at the scene of the crime, would we?"

Silently, he slipped out of the back door after taking the papers with him. He left bloody fingerprint behind, but since he was wearing gloves, the police would not be able to retrieve evidence easily.

~CH~

After dinner was over, Bella and Edward found their way to the bedroom. He knew from everything she said that her day was filled with mixed emotions. Enthusiastically, she took him into the studio, and her new designs floored him. The way that she took simple wires and a few beads to turn them into a piece of wearable art left him dumbfounded. Then he looked over the copies of the contracts. Bella had small share of the business, but she was more or less a silent partner. He told her that this was suspicious, especially since her father had only been dead about a month. When he left for work tomorrow, Edward was going to take the contracts with him to the fraud department.

They were barely able to finish eating before their sheer need for each other became overwhelming. Clothes were quickly falling to the floor as they kissed.

"Please love me," she whispered as he moved her over to the bed.

"There is nothing I can do but love you, Beautiful. Every inch of your body deserved to be cherished."

He removed her bra and simply took in the beauty of her curves. She took his hand in hers to place it over her heart.

"This is yours, Edward, because I can't live without you any longer. We're soul mates who need each other," she told him as he leaned down to move closer. "I want us to have forever."

"There is nothing that I want more than to spend my life with you," he spoke next to her lips before capturing them in a languid kiss. Their tongues met in a sensual dance as she tightened her arms around him. His mouth moved down her chin and neck as she began arching her back. A low moan escaped her mouth as he rubbed over her pink nipples. He blew over them before flicking his tongue over the peaks. Bella was writhing in pleasure as he feasted over her skin. He caressed her hips and thighs repeatedly; then he dragged one finger over her soaked panties.

"Oh god, please…I need…I need," she breathed out.

"Tell me…is this what you need?" he asked as his finger slid inside. "I love how wet you are."

She moaned out even more as he rubbed over her clit. He moved his mouth just below her ear.

"Pleasuring you is a thing of beauty. There is no way you could imagine how much I want to make sweet love to you all night, my Bella."

"Mmmmm, I want that soon…so very soon," she murmured.

The shared another open mouthed kiss as he slid his finger inside her. Eagerly, he sought out that spot that would make her come undone. Having found it, he rubbed over it until she felt the coil snap inside.

"That's it, Beautiful….come for me," he said while she lost herself in her orgasm. His name slipped from her mouth as he kissed and sucked her neck. Edward watched over every moment of this, memorizing the look on her face - she was breathtaking. Eventually, she was able to breathe in a normal manner. After sliding his finger out, he brought it to his mouth to taste her essence. It was intoxicating for him.

Bella curled up in his arms as he began singing to her. The look of love was shining in her eyes as he sang the lyrics to "Wonderful Tonight." He placed small kisses on her fingertips after he was done.

"I meant every word of that," he told her. "And I mean it when I said that I want to make love to you soon."

"I have one small request…will you take a bubble bath with me before that?"

He gave her a warm, wide smile. "Soaking in the tub with the woman I love passionately would be heaven. Would you like for me to add a few flower petals to it?"

"So long as there are a few in our bed, too," she responded before yawning. He pulled the sheets over them and kissed her swollen lips several times. They whispered words of affection and promises of eternal love in the dark. As she began falling asleep, Edward made a silent vow that he would keep her safe no matter what was required. After all, he was planning on giving her an engagement ring soon.

**I hope you all enjoyed reading that chapter. Please leave your thoughts. XXOO**


	5. Chapter 5 Broken but Loved

**Chapter 5- Broken But Loved**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight**

**I'm so very glad y'all are here with me. My readers are invaluable to me, and I appreciate every one of you. Thank you to my prereaders, TheDVS1 and flamingpen18, as well as CloeMarrie for her beta help. Y'all make my fics that much better. **

Sunlight filtered into the bedroom as Bella began to wake up. Her eyes roamed over the face of the man she loved so deeply. Edward filled the void of her heart, and she had grown stronger. It was due mostly to the introspection she'd done over the past week. For now, all of her attention was on Edward, though. Her head was over his heart; the gentle rhythm was relaxing. It occurred to her that she wanted to wake up this way every morning, but that didn't surprise her. They were incredible together – forever was not out of the question.

Bella moved her lips closer to his. He had the most inviting mouth, and she pressed hers next to his. In a second, he wrapped her up tightly, rolled her onto her back, and kissed her deeply. His actions surprised her because she'd thought he was still asleep. Over and over, Edward claimed her mouth while she played with his hair. It would have been easy, probably too easy, for them to get caught up in the sweet passion they shared, but they knew reality was calling. After several soft pecks, they got out of bed to get ready for their day.

"I'm going to miss you terribly, my love," she told him as they held each other at the door after breakfast. "Is there anything special you want me to make for dinner?"

Edward gently caressed her cheek with his fingers. "I don't care what we have so long as I can see your breathtaking smile," he told her before giving her one last kiss. Once he left, Bella closed the door behind her with a deep sigh. Happily, she walked into her studio, armed with self-confidence. Once she wrote out her morning pages, Bella turned on her laptop to look up some information. There were confirmations in her email from Fire Mountain Beads, as well as an update from one of the blogs she followed. It was written by a woman who lived in Myrtle Beach, Makenna, who was a well-known client of many boutiques. She was still happy until she opened the blog and read the review of her new collection.

_While I was at Serendipity's yesterday, I was perusing Bella Swan's newest offering for the public. To say the least, it was lack luster at best. She hasn't visibly improved on any of her designs. The necklace I saw, while it was pretty enough, it appeared to be another copy of last season's collection. Her sea glass inspired earrings are no more impressive than the burgundy Swarovski crystal fish hook earrings. And we all know how much I despise repetition! For all of her supposed talent, Ms. Swan has fallen short of being impressive. _

For a few minutes, she sat at her desk, dumbfounded, unable to breathe at a steady rate. How could this person write something as hateful as this review of her work? Bella put her heart into her designs, labored over them until she was certain they were as close to perfection as possible. The words stung her as she read it once more. Hot tears began falling down her face. She'd fought so hard against the forces that opposed her, both externally and internally. The room was cold now and her head suddenly hurt. She got out of the chair, put her laptop in sleep mode, and walked back to her bedroom. Being in her studio was too painful, and it was pointless for her to even think about creating anything. The pillow she grabbed was the one that Edward used. The scent of his cologne was the only thing that brought her any comfort.

~CH~

No one was answering the phone at the realty office, and that was only making Jacob Black angrier. He brought his family down to Cherry Grove for a nice vacation, but there was a problem with the door key. It was sticking in the lock, so when he used it, there was a great deal of difficulty. This morning, he'd reached his limit. On his way to Krispy Kreme, he stopped by the office to speak with someone about this problem. When he pulled into the parking lot, there was a swarm of police cars and law enforcement officers. One of them approached his car and told him that he needed to get out of there now.

After he left, the officer went back inside the office. While he'd seen his share of crime scenes, this was more disturbing than the others. Harry was over at one end of the room talking with the new field agent, Cullen. They were in the midst of a deep conversation.

"There are footprints near the rear exit. We have several pictures of them, Harry. I hope that's the one mistake he didn't realize he made," Edward told him. For the next few hours they went over the rooms meticulously, trying to reconstruct the murder that occurred. In his mind, Edward was generating theories and inferences from the appearance of the scene. The body held clues for him…the deep gashes and stab wounds were exactly the same modus operandi as the serial killer. Plus he had killed her in the lobby of CRS Realty. The more he delved into this, the more he was inclined to think it was the person who killed Charles and Renee.

Then there was the fact that Emmett had discovered her body last night. He'd called 911 in a panic, screaming over the phone at the operator. The police questioned him since he was the first one at the scene. He was officially a person of interest, but Edward wasn't convinced that he was the killer. To him, they were just going through the regular procedures, especially since he was Roses' husband.

Ben pulled up to the back of the business with a shocked look on his face. Emmett, who was inconsolable, tried his best to explain what happened to him, but it was near impossible. The smell of blood was so strong that Ben felt sick to his stomach. They needed a contingency plan now because clients would want to know why the office was closed. As he was sending out a mass email, Michael drove up beside him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…what do we have here?" he asked while looking over the parking lot.

"Rose was murdered in the lobby, man. I'm trying to help Emmett any way I can, and I would think you'd want to do the same."

Instead, he walked over to where his cousin was standing. "Hey Em, I'm sorry that she's gone. If it makes you feel any better, I met a hot blonde last night at the Afterdeck. She could pass as Rose's twin…really tall and stacked. I can get her-"

"Will you just shut the fuck up?!" Emmett replied angrily. "I don't care if Mother Theresa was there slinging back sea breezes. My wife is dead…get it? Leave me the hell alone and do your fucking job for a change!"

"Okay, alright. I only wanted to make you laugh. Jeez, you'd think I was the only one with a sense of humor."

Then, in the blink of an eye, Emmett swung at him, barely missing his face. Michael retaliated by throwing his much larger relative to the asphalt and hitting him until he almost broke his nose.

"You _will not_ embarrass me! Who do you think I am?" he yelled as an officer pulled him off. Edward, who had seen all of this altercation, was standing only a few feet away. There was something about the preceding minutes that sent a red flag up in his mind. Ben reacted normally to this event. Michael, on the other hand, behaved like a total ass – making inappropriate comments, and attacking another person.

There was something off about Michael, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

~CH~

James did not hear from Emmett all night which in turn made him more furious. When he drove by the realty company, he didn't see his car there last night, either. There was no reason for him to wait more than a few minutes, so he went back to him home. He'd made a few phone calls this morning, spoke with a journalist who was interested in the next big political scandal. They spoke at length for about half an hour. Both of them were excited to let the world know that Senator Charles Swan was not as ethical as he appareled. Next, James contacted _The State_ newspaper to give them the scoop, as well as one of the anchors for WMBF News.

It thrilled him that he would single handedly ruin the dead senator's reputation. He walked into the kitchen, poured another cup of coffee and lifted it up. "This ones' for you, Charles. Hope you're enjoying hell," he said aloud. Soon, the world would know the secrets he'd hidden from everyone, including his own family.

~CH~

Roses' body had been taken to the forensics lab for further investigation, along with the material the investigators collected. Edward was on the edge of his seat as they went over everything. He knew it would take some time to process the information. As far as he was concerned, this was the work of the serial killer. This was the fourth violent crime that had been committed in the area in the past year, and the residents, of the area, were becoming more concerned. He looked over at Harry's office after rubbing his face. As soon as they returned to the station, the phone was ringing nonstop with the press demanding a public statement. A man by the name of Jacob Black had alerted _The Sun News_ that he saw multiple police vehicles this morning. Several minutes later, the administration for the North Myrtle Beach Police Department was setting up for the spontaneous interview.

As he walked outside, Edward happened to overhear one of the journalists telling another that it was a busy news day. This was his second big story of the day. He simply walked past them, trying to ignore their conversation. His mind was stretched to the limits, and he was concerned about Bella. Emmett was going to tell her about Rose, which made him feel a pang of guilt. More than anything, he wanted to be there to hold her when she learned about her sister-in-law's death. Strangely, she had not called nor sent him a text message. There wasn't a spare moment for him to contact her, but he was leaving in a few minutes to go to her house anyway.

A text message from Emmett brought him out of his mind.

_This is an emergency, Cullen! Get over to Bella's house now!_

The words jostled him into action, and he gave Harry enough of an explanation so he could get out. As he drove out of the lot, Edward prayed to whatever god would hear him that his girl would be safe and secure.

~CH~

He yelled, cursed, and screamed at anything in the apartment. His rage was not settled last night, not by a long shot. She wasn't supposed to be there…no, he was expecting to see Emmett. Why the fuck did he send her to the office? It would have given him a deeper sense of release to kill him. The knife would have torn through his flesh so deeply and so evenly. The whole damn family deserved to die for the pain they put him through. It all started with the senator, even if he was the third one to die.

Shit, did he ever enjoy the way the noose looked around his neck as he hung a few feet up in the air! He closed his eyes and fell back in the chair as he recalled how _wonderful_ that night was. It was easy to kill him, and there was a sense of satisfaction he derived from stabbing him. The old man had done nothing but hurt him. The memoires and the humiliation stung; removing every member of the family was the way he was going to take control. The fucking world owed him everything.

He took a long swallow of his drink and threw it over at the window. It made a loud, piercing noise. After yelling more obscenities, there was a knock at the door. His neighbor, a petite, childlike girl by the name of Heidi was telling him that he was making too much noise. She was babbling on, aggravating him more by the second, and that was all it took. He pulled her inside his dingy apartment and seconds later she was thrown against the wall.

"You think I make too much fucking noise?!" he asked harshly as she feared for her safety.

"No…p-please…let me go…I'll…I'll never b-bother you a-again," she sobbed as he hovered over her. There was a look of pure evil on his face, the kind she saw in her courts and law text books.

He was quiet for a few minutes as he considered the possibility of strangling her. Her blood would run down her t-shirt in even rivers. Just thinking about it was making him feel stimulated. There was another knock and loud at the door, which interrupted him. Heidi managed to kick him hard enough for him to fall backwards and her to get away. Then she ran from the apartment, relieved that her husband came to her rescue.

After he was able to get back up, he left the place, determined to find a woman on the strip that would succumb to his charm.

~CH~

Emmett met Edward at the door. "She's falling apart, Ed. When I got here, Bella wouldn't answer the door, so I called her phone. I left a half a dozen messages, banged on the damn door, but she yelled at me to leave her alone. In the past half an hour, I've heard things breaking and her screaming. Maybe she'll listen to you."

"Go on home. This has been a horrible, fucked up day. Just let me try to take care of her, okay?"

Emmett turned around and left, feeling more lost than earlier in the day. Edward called out her name and told her he was there. After a few minutes of him pleading, Bella opened the door and let him inside. Her swollen eyes and red face told him that she'd been crying - hard. A thought occurred just then, _had Emmett been able to tell her about Rose?_

"Come here, Beautiful…I love you and I want to take care of you," he said as she fell into his warm embrace. For some time, he simply held her as she sobbed over the loss of Rose and for the pain of the review. Granted one was more serious than the other, but Bella was broken up over everything. She had listened to the messages her brother sent her. To say the least she was scared for her life and thoroughly unsure of her talent.

The only place she felt safe was in her love's arms.

When she was finally able to speak, she told him about the scathing words that hurt her deeply. They went into her studio, and now he knew the source of the noises Emmett heard. The room had been damaged. Her table was turned over. Beads, wires, and her vintage storage hatboxes were scattered all over the room. As much as he was afraid to ask to see what caused this, he knew she would feel better if she let him read it. Edward sat down at her desk, read over the blog, and he became furious.

"This bitch is a mindless, vacuous troll that has no taste," he said as she looked at him.

"I'm…I'm thinking…that I need…to stop," she confessed softly. "If she feels…this way then I'm…sure other people do, too."

He got up off and stood in front of the woman he loved with all of his existence. It was breaking his heart to see her in so much pain.

"Bella, I've seen your amazing designs, and you are so fucking great at this. Please, I'm begging you, don't let her opinion get the best of you."

She placed her head in her hands as she began crying hard again. He drew her to him, rocking her in his arms. Finally, she looked up at him with her eyes focused on the love she saw in his gaze. It was one of the things that made her fall hard for him.

"I'm broken, Edward…can you please help put me back together?"

Her honest words struck him hard, and he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.

"It's obvious that we've had a very difficult day. We need each other now, more than ever."

After setting her carefully down on the sink, he turned the water on. She handed him a bottle of her bubble bath and soon the tub was overflowing. Soon after the water was off and their clothes were on the floor, gently, he laid her in the tub. The next second, his arms were tight around her body. Every now and then, a few sobs escaped her mouth. It was hard for her to get over the fact that Rose was dead. Multiple emotions were going through both of them now. Grief, fear, and love to name a few.

"It might be time for you to make a fresh start," he began. "I know you want to quit, but it would tear you up even more if you did that. This is your passion. I can't imagine how you would go through a day without working with these delicate hands that I love."

He brought one of them to his mouth and laid soft kisses over it.

"I'm anxious over designing, and I'm sacred for my life, Edward. What if this serial killer decides it's my turn to die?"

She searched his face, but all she saw was the affection he had for her.

"Beautiful, I'm going to do anything and everything in my power to keep you safe. I'm not going to lie and tell you that this person will leave you and Emmett alone. But, at the same time, it's not fair to either one of you to stop living."

"What about the realty company? And there was James. I'm not even sure if Emmett called him. Oh shit, this is a huge mess."

He took her face in his hand and pressed urgent kisses on it.

"Ssshhhh, you're thinking about everything too much. Please let me help you get back to the amazing, incredible, and creative woman that you are," he whispered next to her lips. In the next breath, they got lost in a soft kiss, and their needs became too profound to ignore. His tongue slid into her mouth and tangled with hers. Hands began touching, caressing, memorizing each other's bodies. Bath time ended soon, and he took her to bed.

They picked up right where they left off once they were in the safety of their room. His mouth explored her curves, her nipples, her pussy until she gave herself over to an intense orgasm. As he lay on his back, Bella kissed and licked down his chest and stomach until she took his cock into her mouth, sucking till he was near his release. She wrapped her body around his as he slid inside, her warmth and tightness overwhelming him. They moved sensually together.

"My Bella," he murmured in between kisses. "My sweetest Bella."

They were falling more in love with every passing second. When she caught his glance, he pressed in deeper and she was caught up in another overwhelming orgasm. It was sheer heaven for him to get watch her fall apart. Waves of pleasure were starting to come over him as her walls grew even tighter around his shaft. He called out her name once more as he came hard and was officially addicted to making love to her.

Edward soon rolled to his side and drew her close to him. They were quiet for a time. His fingers were running over her face while she rested her hand over his heart. The pressure and anxiety of the day was gone, even if it was only for a sort reprieve. They whispered soft words of affection and kissed deeply before she drifted off to sleep.

"I love you and I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe," he whispered before closing his eyes. Edward was determined that he would protect the woman he loved no matter what the cost.

**Thank you all for reading! Please leave your thoughts. XXOO**


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